Im Gwang-hyeon, results-driven pragmatist, tapped as presidential chief of staff

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday appointed National Tax Service Commissioner Im Gwang-hyeon as his new chief of staff, a move seen as reflecting the administration's emphasis on pragmatism and results-driven governance.

Im, a graduate of the 38th class of the national civil service exam, hails from Hongseong in South Chungcheong Province and holds a degree in economics from Yonsei University. He began his public career as an administrative section chief at the Daejeon Tax Office and later served as Seoul Regional Tax Service commissioner and NTS deputy commissioner. He built particular expertise in tax investigations as head of the Seoul Regional Tax Service's Investigation Bureau No. 1 and later as NTS investigation bureau chief, earning a reputation as one of the agency's foremost investigation specialists.

Im subsequently won election to the 22nd National Assembly as a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and served as standing vice chairman of the party's policy committee. After the launch of the Lee Jae Myung administration, he was named the inaugural NTS commissioner, returning to the agency he had long called home.

Since taking office as NTS commissioner last July, Im delivered strong results through aggressive collection efforts targeting high-value tax delinquents. Over roughly 15 months, he oversaw the collection of around 15 trillion won in overdue taxes and pursued overseas assets hidden by major delinquents under the principle that collection would be pursued "without exception, at home or abroad." He is credited with working to establish tax justice by taking a firm stance against willful tax evasion and delinquency.

Most recently, Im wrapped up collection proceedings against Kwon Hyuk, chairman of the Sido Group, who had topped the list of individual tax delinquents for more than 20 years, securing 400 billion won ($298 million) in overdue payments. Of that amount, Kwon paid 100 billion won in cash. To secure international cooperation, Im sent personal letters to the tax chiefs of Liberia and Panama — the flags of convenience under which Kwon had registered his vessels — and invited them to visit South Korea. At a meeting with the Liberian tax chief, Im reportedly went so far as to drink alcohol he normally avoids in order to win the official's cooperation.

Im also moved swiftly to launch targeted investigations into tax evasion tied to social issues. Just one week after taking office, on July 29 last year, he opened a probe into suspected tax evasion linked to unfair stock market trading. In August of that year, he turned his attention to suspected foreign real estate speculation, and in October he scrutinized high-priced property transactions in the so-called "Han River Belt." During his earlier tenure as NTS investigation bureau chief, he led probes into price gouging on masks during the COVID-19 pandemic and the misuse of corporate-registered supercars, earning him the nickname "master of targeted investigations."

To strengthen collection capacity, Im established a special task force to track high-value delinquents and created a dedicated national tax delinquency management unit, laying the groundwork for a systematic response to deliberate non-payment.

At the same time, Im extended active support to small business owners and small and medium-sized enterprises facing financial hardship. Measures included a flexible scheduling option for routine tax audits, extended payment deadlines and early refunds for businesses affected by the war in the Middle East, and a taxpayer-centered approach to interpreting tax law. He also showed particular interest in supporting young entrepreneurs, running tax education classes in partnership with startup one-stop support centers across the country.

Personnel reform stands out as another key achievement. Im introduced, for the first time since the NTS was founded, a blind peer-review evaluation system with employee participation and pushed forward a merit-based special promotion program. The initiative is seen as aligned with President Lee's personnel philosophy of offering exceptional promotion opportunities to capable civil servants in order to inject vitality into the public sector.

During his time as NTS commissioner, Im was known for emphasizing that "taxpayer complaints should be treated as treasure, and the answers to better tax administration found within them," and that "warm-hearted tax administration that genuinely considers the circumstances of taxpayers struggling in life is what matters most."

Meanwhile, Im's brother-in-law is Lee Seung-yeop, a lawyer and former judge who represented President Lee in his Public Official Election Act violation case and in the SBW North Korea remittance allegations case. Lee Seung-yeop was reportedly considered last year as a presidential nominee for a Constitutional Court justice seat but declined to be named.